St. Charles County Circuit Court Overview
The St. Charles County Circuit Court is the 11th Judicial Circuit of Missouri. The research map identifies St. Charles as a single-county circuit, meaning the local Circuit Court is the primary trial court for county civil, criminal, family, probate, juvenile, and related trial matters. The court's homepage describes Missouri circuit courts as courts of original civil and criminal jurisdiction, and the local site lists the divisions that make that broad authority work in daily practice.
St. Charles County Circuit Court records are not split into a separate district court system. The county uses circuit divisions and associate circuit divisions. Civil cases under $25,000 generally go to Associate Circuit Civil. Civil cases of $25,000 or more, plus cases seeking non-money relief such as injunctions, generally go to Circuit Civil. Small Claims is available for claims of not more than $5,000. Criminal routing depends on offense level and filing method, with felony and misdemeanor charges filed by the Prosecuting Attorney or by grand-jury indictment.
For case lookup, the public path is Missouri Case.net. For copies and certification, the user moves to the St. Charles County Circuit Clerk. That difference matters because a docket can be public online while a document still requires a clerk request, and a sealed or confidential file may require in-person identity proof or court permission.
St. Charles County Circuit Divisions
The local court overview lists 6 circuit judges, 9 associate circuit judges, 1 probate commissioner, and 10 municipal divisions. Many divisions work from the courthouse at 300 N. Second Street in St. Charles. Room numbers from the Plan Your Visit page are useful because visitors pass through security and then move by floor to the correct courtroom, clerk window, or public office.
| Court or Division | Judge or Officer | Primary Role or Room | Address or Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Division 1 | Judge Brittney Smith | Circuit division, Room 335 | 300 N. Second St. |
| Division 2 | Judge Deborah Alessi | Circuit division, Room 309 | 300 N. Second St. |
| Division 3 | Judge Erin Burlison / Judge Robert Cornejo listed in overview artifacts | Circuit division, Room 515 | 300 N. Second St. |
| Division 4 | Judge Robert Cornejo | Family/circuit, Room 409 | 300 N. Second St. |
| Division 5 | Judge Chris McDonough | Circuit civil/criminal, Room 509 | 300 N. Second St. |
| Division 6 | Judge Trisha McCulloch | Family, Room 535 | 300 N. Second St. |
| Division 7 | Judge Dwayne Johnson | Circuit civil/criminal, Room 329 | 300 N. Second St. |
| Division 8 | Judge Peter Lassiter | Family, Room 539 | 300 N. Second St. |
| Division 9 | Judge Jeffrey Sandcork | Associate civil/criminal, Room 429 | 300 N. Second St. |
| Division 10 | Judge Dennis Chassaniol | Treatment Court, Room 435 | 300 N. Second St. |
| Division 11 | Judge Denise Childress | Associate civil/criminal, Room 323 | 300 N. Second St. |
| Division 12 | Judge William Byrnes | Associate criminal, Room 315 | 300 N. Second St. |
| Division 13 | Judge Gwendolyn Goeke | Listed in judge overview | 300 N. Second St. |
| Division 14 | Judge Lawrence Chrum / Commissioner Anthony Linson listed | Family, Room 423 | 300 N. Second St. |
| Division 15 | Commissioner Anthony Linson | Probate commissioner role, Room 317 listed | 300 N. Second St. |
| Division 16 | Judge Vincent Johnson | Associate civil/criminal, Room 415 | 300 N. Second St. |
| Probate Division | Hon. Dennis Chassaniol; Commissioner Anthony Linson | Room 517 | 636-949-3086 |
| Juvenile Division | Family Court/Juvenile Division | Juvenile Justice Center | 1700 S. River Road, 636-949-3040 |
| County Municipal Court | Municipal judge / Heather Smith CCA | Municipal traffic and ordinance cases | 399 Turner Blvd., St. Peters, 636-949-1833 |
| O'Fallon Municipal Court | Judge Tim Engelmeyer | Municipal traffic and ordinance cases | 1019 Bryan Road, 636-240-8766 |
Circuit, Associate, and Municipal Courts
Missouri does not use county courts or justice of the peace courts for St. Charles County trial-court records. The local structure is Circuit Court, Associate Circuit Division, Small Claims Division, and Municipal Division. This is why a traffic citation can be a municipal case, a felony can be a Circuit Court criminal case, and a lower-dollar civil case can stay in associate circuit even though all are tied to Missouri's unified court system.
| Feature | Circuit Court | Associate Circuit / Small Claims | Municipal Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil scope | $25,000 or more and non-money relief such as injunctions | Associate civil under $25,000; small claims up to $5,000 | Not the main venue for general civil lawsuits |
| Criminal scope | Felony and major criminal case handling after filing | Associate criminal and preliminary criminal matters | Traffic and ordinance violations |
| Family and probate | Family, juvenile, and probate divisions sit within the Circuit Court | Limited by division assignment | No divorce or probate jurisdiction in the research |
| Records path | Case.net and Circuit Clerk copies | Case.net and Circuit Clerk copies | Case.net, municipal court, payment vendor, or local court office |
St. Charles County Case Flow
Case movement depends on whether the matter is criminal, civil, family, probate, or municipal. Criminal cases can begin after arrest or investigation when the Prosecuting Attorney files a complaint or information, or when a grand jury returns an indictment. Civil cases begin with a petition or claim. Family cases often move through petition, service, case-management conference, parent education, mediation, pretrial, trial or non-contested hearing, and judgment. Probate cases follow estate, guardianship, conservatorship, or commitment procedures under the probate division.
Criminal flow: Complaint or indictment › arraignment › pretrial hearings › plea or trial › disposition › sentencing › appeal.
Civil flow: Petition filed › summons and service › answer › motions or discovery › mediation or pretrial › trial or judgment › collection or appeal.
Municipal traffic flow: citation › Case.net or payment search › plea, payment, or court appearance › disposition › payment compliance or warrant risk if missed.
St. Charles County Court Divisions
The court's division pages provide a practical map of where records come from. Civil and associate civil files can include petitions, answers, motions, judgments, garnishments, liens, and hearing entries. Criminal files can include complaints, informations, indictments, counts, pleas, hearings, bonds, dispositions, sentencing, and cost payment entries. Family files include dissolution, legal separation, annulment, paternity, custody, child support, protection orders, and motions to modify.
The Probate Division handles estates, wills, guardianships, conservatorships, civil commitments, and trust or will litigation. The Juvenile Division handles referrals involving delinquency, status offenses, and abuse or neglect. Treatment Court is a specialty court track for eligible justice-involved participants with substance-use issues, including Drug, DWI, Veterans, Co-Occurring, and Family Drug tracks. These programs affect court records because compliance, sanctions, graduation, dismissal, or probation reduction can appear in the case history when public.
Note: Juvenile, mental health, adoption, sealed, and expunged records may be partly or fully closed even when other St. Charles County Circuit Court records are public.
St. Charles County Court Building
The main courthouse is at 300 North Second Street in Saint Charles. The Plan Your Visit page gives room-level instructions that help record users avoid the wrong window. The Circuit Clerk is in Room 217, Small Claims in Room 223, and Ex Parte Orders of Protection in Room 227. Criminal matters, the criminal room, and criminal or traffic bonds tied to courthouse cases are on the fourth floor in Room 417. Probate and juvenile courthouse functions are on the fifth floor in Room 517.
All visitors pass through a metal detector when entering. Weapons, alcohol, controlled substances, and drug paraphernalia are prohibited. Prescription drugs are allowed only in pharmacy packaging with a name printed on the package. The courthouse also has a monitor near the fine and fee window that shows judge locations for the day, which can help when divisions or courtrooms change by calendar.
St. Charles County Circuit Court
300 North Second Street
Saint Charles, MO 63301
Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
St. Charles County Court Sources
The civil division page explains the local split between circuit civil, associate civil, and small claims.
That source supports the civil thresholds used to route St. Charles County Circuit Court records.
The Family Court page outlines local family-case stages and parent education requirements.
Family records can be public, restricted, or partly redacted depending on case type and protected information.
The Juvenile Division page describes referral sources and juvenile jurisdiction.
Juvenile records require extra care because Missouri law limits access to many juvenile files.
The Treatment Court page documents local specialty court tracks and supervision methods.
Treatment Court outcomes can affect criminal case disposition, probation, and dismissal records when a participant completes the program.